Recently, I mentioned John Piper's massive sermon series on Romans, titled The Greatest

Letter Ever Written, 225 sermons in length, which took him 8 years and 8 months to complete.

In that earlier episode, I played a clip from an early sermon from this Roman series, and

today I want to fast forward 7 years and play for you another clip from later in this series.

This one is from February 20th, 2005, a sermon titled Do Not Avenge Yourselves, but

Give Place to Wrath.

It is a sermon on Romans 12, 16-20 specifically, verse 19, where Paul writes this, beloved,

never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.

For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

So how does faith and the future of vindicating justice of God settle us and stabilize us

and make it possible for us to live with sanity in a world that will cut us deeply?

Pastor John explains, beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.

For this is the ground, the basis, this is the way you're able to do it.

For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay.

Now here's what that implies, that little word for implies, that one of the motivations in our hearts.

For why we can't return good for evil, one of the motivations for why it's so hard,

not to strike back, not to plan vengeance, one of the reasons it's so hard is because deep down

in our souls there's this warranted, justified desire that justice be done, and it doesn't look

like it's going to be done, if I just say, okay, I won't count it anymore, I won't think about it anymore,

I won't see with it anymore, I won't hold a grudge anymore, we feel like if I do that,

nobody knows except me how bad that was.

That's unbelief talking, God knows.

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